Ukrainians in Czechoslovakia

In 1919 Transcarpathia voluntarily joined the newly created by the Entente Czechoslovak republic. Of all the newly states in Eastern Europe, Czechoslovakia was the most democratic. The Czech government allowed its population to use the language of its choice in the schools and open cultural and political organizations. Such liberalism led to the growth of Ukrainian national life in the region. The Czech government, however, planned to abolish any possibility of unification of Transcarpathian Ukrainians with Ukrainians in other lands. Prague propagated the idea that Ukrainians in Transcarpathia were a separate nation – Carpathian Rusyny. This movement was called Rusynophile and it enjoyed significant support of the government. The third Ukrainian movement in Transcarpathia was called Russophile (Москвофіли). Thus Ukrainians in Czechoslovakia had three national orientations and that suited Prague well.

Carpatho-Ukrainian autonomy

In October 1938 Prague granted autonomy to Transcarpathia. A famous Ukrainian political figure and respected Greek Catholic priest, Avhustyn Voloshyn, was appointed head of the cabinet, which started a large-scale Ukrainization policy. The educational system, publications, and administration were Ukrainized. All political parties except the pro-governmental Ukrainian National Union were banned and their newspapers closed. In February 1939, elections were held for the regional parliament and the Ukrainophiles received 86% of the votes. Some historians say that the elections results were falsified. It was not difficult under such non-democratic conditions. Meanwhile, a military organization, the Carpathian Sich, was organized and soon had about 5000 soldiers, who were mostly enthusiastic Ukrainian youth from Galicia – many of them members of the OUN.

There were pressing reasons for establishing a military force, for as Czechoslovakia slowly disintegrated, neighboring Hungary demanded the return of its former Transcarpathian lands. On 14 March 1939, the Hungarian army moved into the region. On 15 March, in a symbolic gesture, the Voloshyn government proclaimed the independent Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine[10] and sent a telegram to Hitler asking him to accept the new republic as a German protectorate.[11] Voloshyn did not know that Hitler had already promised Transcarpathia to his ally and friend Admiral Horthy, the Hungarian dictator. The sejm (parliament) adopted the blue-yellow national flag, the coat of arms containing a trident, and the national anthem ‘Ukraine has not perished yet’ (Ще не вмерла Україна). Ukrainian was proclaimed the state language. Many young integral nationalists from Galicia illegally crossed the border and joined the Carpathian Sich. The Carpathian Sich showed brave but futile resistance to the outnumbered enemy. Soon the whole territory was occupied by Hungarians.

After conquering Transcarpathia the Hungarian government started Magyarization (Hungarization) policy. All Ukrainian publications and organizations, including Prosvita, were banned. The Ukrainian language in schools was gradually replaced with Hungarian.

Brief as it was, the existence of a Ukrainian government in Carpatho-Ukraine had an impact similar to that of the Ukrainian governments in the 1917-20 period: it helped to turn much of the region’s population, especially the youth, into nationally conscious Ukrainians.

WORDS AND WORD COMBINATIONS

Response - відповідь

Compulsory - примусовий

Forcible - примусовий

Prohibition - заборона

Beyond - понад

Drought - посуха

Famine - голод

Rebel – повставати, повстанець

Fortress - фортеця

Cradle - колиска

Uprising - повстання

Surplus - надлишок

Abandon - залишати

Recover - відроджуватись

Imply – мати на увазі

Attempt - спроба

Disarm - роззброювати

Flourishing - процвітання

Enrollment – прийняття, внесення до списків

Implant – насаджувати, вкорінювати

Side effect – побічний ефект

Revival - відродження

Identity - ідентичність

Consciousness - свідомість

Demand – вимагати

At the expense of – за рахунок когось

Apparent - очевидний

Survive - виживати

Hostile - ворожий

Lag behind - відставати

Sacrifices - жертви

In vain – марно, даремно

Assume dictatorial power – приймати диктаторську владу

Curtail - згорнути

Convict - засуджений

Arouse – пробуджувати, викликати

Outstanding - видатний

Suffering - страждання

Hardship – злидні, нужда

Setback – регрес, перешкода

Output - видобуток

Food was rationed – їжа була нормована

Require – вимагати, мати потребу

Assumption - припущення

Infuriated - розлючений

Squeeze - вижимати

Wealth - багатство

Deprive sb of smth – позбавляти когось чогось

Resistance - спротив

Launch an attack – розпочати атаку

Shadow - тінь

Artificial - штучний

Grain delivery quotas – квоти постачання зерна

Malnutrition - недоїдання

Suspect sb of smth – підозрювати когось у чомусь

Estimate – підраховувати приблизно, оцінювати

Earthworm - черв’як

Bark – кора дерева

Serf - кріпак

Imbue with smth – сповнювати, надихати

Descendant - нащадок

Perish - загинути

Suffer - страждати

Soil – земля, ґрунт

Reluctance – неохота, небажання

Entail – спричиняти, викликати

Successor - наслідувач

Mortality rate – рівень смертності

Investigate - досліджувати

Occur - відбуватись

Urge - спонукати

Rival - супротивник

Vague – неясно, невиразно

Undermine - підривати

Distortion - викривлення

Claim - стверджувати

Uncertainty - невпевненість

Safety - безпека

Commit suicide – заподіяти самогубство

Possess – мати, володіти

Informant – інформатор таємний

Target - ціль

Prominent - видатний

Torture – тортури

Spying - шпигунство

Priest - священик

Bilingual - двомовний

Department - кафедра

Abolish - скасувати

Advocate - захищати

Eradicate - знищувати

Dissolve - розчинювати

Sacrifice - жертвувати

Underground movement – підпільний рух

To be committed to a nation – бути відданим нації

Statehood - державність

Ban – заборона, забороняти

Purify - очищати

Decadent – занепадати, занепад

Merciless - безжальний

Admire – захоплюватись

Intolerant - нетерпимий

Carry out acts of terror – здійснювати терористичні акти

Assassinate – вбивати за політичними мотивами

Hatred - ненависть

Appeal to - приваблювати

Condemn - засуджувати

Unleash – розпочати, розв’язувати

Immature - незрілий

Denounce - засуджувати

It suited Prague well – це добре влаштовувало Прагу

Appoint - призначати

Ally - союзник

Coat of arms - герб

Trident - тризуб

Futile - марний

[1] The number of republics gradually increased to 9 and then to 15.

[2] It should be noted, however, that Ukrainian books did not dominate the republic’s book market, as three quarters of the books sold in the republic were published in Russia. Many Russian-language newspapers were also brought to Ukraine from Russia.

[3] The lucky ones lived in so-called communal apartments where each family occupied a single room. Families in barracks used curtains to separate their beds from the others.

[4] The most distinguished Ukrainian expert on the famine of 1932-33, historian S. Kulchytsky, calculated that the direct losses of the famine were 3,238,000. Some politicians try to exaggerate the number for political reasons and say that over 10 million died from famine.

[5] For a year wages a peasant could buy one shirt and a pair of trousers.

[6] Politburo is the name of the body of highest-ranking Communist officials.

[7] The Cossack was a symbol of freedom.

[8] It included the burning of Polish estates; the destruction of Polish governmental buildings, railroads, and telegraph lines; and political assassinations of Poles and Ukrainians who favored cooperation with the Poles.

[9] ‘A person who sheds the innocent blood of his political opponent is just as much as murderer as one who does it for robbery’ (Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky).

[10] Strictly against the proclamation of independence were local Slovaks, who wanted to join Slovakia, and local Hungarians, who wanted to join Hungary.

[11] Protectorate means a country that is controlled and protected by a more powerful country

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